# Not authorized (/api/rest/troubleshooting/rest_not_authorized)



Authorization failed due to insufficient permissions. The following issues may return from a NOT\_AUTHORIZED error.

> **Info:** **Note:** If an issue persists or if you have further questions, you can reach out to
> [paypal-techsupport.com](https://www.paypal-techsupport.com).

## PAYEE\_ACCOUNT\_NOT\_VERIFIED [#payee_account_not_verified]

Returns from the Payments v1 or Orders v2 APIs.

Cause

Unverified PayPal account: The payee's PayPal account has not been
verified, which is a requirement for processing transactions.

Account restrictions: The payee's account may have restrictions or
limitations that prevent it from being verified.

Unverified email address: The payee has not verified their email
address with PayPal, which is a necessary step for account
verification.

Impact

The payment is declined, and the payment is not processed. This can lead
to delays in completing the purchase.

Resolution

Verify PayPal account: The payee should verify their PayPal account in
order to resolve this error. This typically involves confirming their
email address, linking and confirming a bank account or credit card,
and providing any required identification documents.

Check for account restrictions: Check the PayPal account for any
restrictions or limitations that may prevent verification. The payee
should resolve any outstanding issues or contact PayPal support for
assistance.

Verify email address: The payee should verify their email address with
PayPal. They should check their email for a verification message from
PayPal and follow the instructions to confirm their email address.

## PAYEE\_NOT\_CONSENTED [#payee_not_consented]

Cause

The PayPal merchant account making the API call does not have
permission from the payee account to carry out a request.

A different account used credentials to make the API request on behalf
of the payee. The payee account is not sending the request.

The payee account needs to grant permissions to the facilitator
account.

The payee has not consented for the API caller to process this
transaction. Your setup requires payee consent before processing.

Impact

The facilitator account is not able to process payments for the payee
account without receiving permissions from the payee. These attempts
will fail until permissions are granted.

This leads to fewer customers completing PayPal transactions on the
merchant website.

Resolution

The payee account is passed in the payee field within{" "}
"purchase\_units" object of the Orders API request body.
Ensure that the correct values are passed, and the API caller account
has received the correct set of permissions.

For{" "}
PayPal Complete Payments{" "}
merchants, ensure the caller API account has consent to collect
partner fees for the payee. Make sure to add PARTNER\_FEE{" "}
to the list of capabilities when taking the payee through the{" "}

sign-up flow

.

After adding permissions, retry the payment.

If permissions are already added, or if this has started happening for
a large number of transactions, reach out to PayPal support.

## PERMISSION\_DENIED [#permission_denied]

Returns from the Payments v1 or Orders v2 APIs.

Cause

The PayPal API returns this error when the credentials used to call the
API do not have the necessary permissions to perform the requested
operation or action. Common causes include:

Insufficient permissions: The PayPal account does not have the
required permissions.

Invalid or expired credentials: OAuth access tokens are expired or
invalid.

Restricted operations: Attempting actions not allowed for the account
type. For example, a personal account tries to access business-level
APIs.

Swapped credentials: Using sandbox credentials in a live environment
or vice versa.

Impact

The payment process is halted, preventing the customer from finalizing
their purchase. This can lead to lost sales if the issue is not resolved
promptly.

Resolution

Verify resource ownership: Ensure the resource ID belongs to the
PayPal account making the API call. If it belongs to another account,
ensure the correct permissions and scopes are granted.

Check API credentials: Ensure the credentials are for the correct
environment (sandbox or live), and are properly generated from the
PayPal Developer Dashboard.

Verify OAuth scopes and permissions: Ensure the necessary scopes are
requested when generating OAuth tokens.

Review account permissions: Access the PayPal Developer Dashboard to
ensure the API credentials correspond to an account with appropriate
privileges. Check the{" "}
My Apps & Credentials page for
details.

Renew authentication tokens: Regularly renew access tokens and ensure
your application handles token expiration gracefully.

Use correct API endpoints: Ensure you are using the correct endpoints
for the environment. For sandbox, use{" "}
[https://api.sandbox.paypal.com](https://api.sandbox.paypal.com). For live, use{" "}
[https://api.paypal.com](https://api.paypal.com).

Check account type and feature availability: Ensure the PayPal account
supports the requested API operations. Some features are only
available on business accounts or specific integrations, for example,
payouts.
